Elder Advocates Of Alberta Society

Articles Tagged: In the News

A B.C. senior says she has lost her independence after being required to re-take her driver’s licence test and then failing it — two outcomes she’s blaming on a lack of language skills, not driving skills. Aino Leskinen, 84, came to Canada from Finland when she was 33. She couldn’t speak English, but could drive. […]

By Gillian Slade on December 4, 2014. gslade@medicinehatnews.com @MHNGillianSlade The cognitive test some seniors are asked to take in their doctor’s office is so unreliable in assessing their skills to drive a vehicle that it has no value, says a physician. The SimardMD test is a very rapid pencil and paper test designed to see if […]

“If you want to know what constitutes the cognitive test doctors give to Alberta seniors over the age of 75, just ask 81-year-old Lois Mooney, and you’ll get a spittin’ earful. For a driving test, it’s ridiculous, she’ll tell you, and one that is discriminatory to make her take just because she’s had a birthday. […]

Age related testing ‘breaks almost every tenet of screening’ Personal View: Medical screening of older drivers is not evidence based Medical screening of older drivers is misguided and typifies a “worrying lack of due diligence” by the medical profession, warns a senior doctor on bmj.com today. Professor Desmond O’Neill, Consultant Physician in Geriatric and Stroke […]

Joan Lowry of the Associated Press, from the United States Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. On Friday February 21st., 2014, A News Release in Washington , D.C. by the United States Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, stated that they were wrong in thinking that an older population would lead to more accidents, and just the […]

ANNUAL medical tests for drivers aged 70 and over will be scrapped to encourage older people to remain active in the community and because evidence shows they do not lower crash rates. The State Government move follows research that shows Victoria, which does not have age-based testing, has a crash rate similar to South Australia […]

TORONTO, Ont. — The province of Ontario has published proposed changes to the license renewal process for senior A/Z license-holders. Under the proposed changes: only commercial drivers between the ages of 65 and 79 who accumulate three or more demerit points or are involved in an at-fault collision will be required to take a practical […]

Joan Lowry of the Associated Press, from the United States Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. On Friday February 21st., 2014, A News Release in Washington, D.C. by the United States Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, stated that they were wrong in thinking that an older population would lead to more accidents, and just the reverse […]

Watch the video on the Calgary Herald website EDMONTON — Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Ric McIver says he made some mistakes when serving in Alison Redford’s cabinet, but will rectify them if he wins the premier’s job. Borrowing a page from populist premier Ralph Klein, the former infrastructure and transportation minister noted he cut funding […]

Last year’s road toll has fuelled prejudice towards older drivers. The focus used to be on young, fast, drunk and tired drivers. Now some people want to put the brakes on older drivers, arguing they are more likely to have crashes and should, therefore, get off the road. It is difficult to select an age […]

Senior drivers are thought to be a menace on our roads. This is a myth. In fact, seniors who drive are subjected to all the normal legal obligations and then some. When they reach the age of 80 in B.C., they receive the demand to attend at a doctor’s office for a cognitive and physical […]

A B.C. senior says she has lost her independence after being required to re-take her driver’s licence test and then failing it — two outcomes she’s blaming on a lack of language skills, not driving skills. Aino Leskinen, 84, came to Canada from Finland when she was 33. She couldn’t speak English, but could drive. […]

A Winnipeg senior who died on his front walk after being discharged from the Grace Hospital, Winnipeg emergency room in minus 40 weather, wearing slippers, pyjama bottoms and a coat. David Silver, 78, died Dec. 31 after being dropped off by a cab at about 1:30 a.m. He’d just been discharged from the ER, diagnosed […]

Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons is pressing government for an independent review of the DriveABLE program, which assesses a senior’s ability to drive, because he says it’s only accurate half of the time. “Nobody’s got an issue with taking drivers off the road who should be, but when you’ve got the validity of a […]

Premier Alison Redford has raised the cap on seniors long-term care accommodation by five per cent. During the Tory leadership race, Redford mused about removing the cap altogether, an idea she abandoned during the spring election.* After the election, Health Minister Fred Horne and Seniors Minister George VanderBurg studiously avoided questions about whether the cap will be removed, saying […]